Hotblooded
by stevieLUVSAlex
Summary: When B&B come together again, Brennan has a gift for him... so amazing that it leaves him speechless... intrigued much? : please R
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: just a little something I came up with when I read the title of a chapter of somebody's FF. I thought this fit rather nicely. This chapter is extremely short. Enjoy :)_

_I own none of these characters… Hart Hanson does (lucky man)_

Brennan had been waiting some time before Booth arrived at the reflecting pool, her fingers tightened around the small box she held on her lap, the one that contained the souvenir she had brought back from Indonesia, for Booth. She smiled to herself as she thought about the gift that lay inside. She was sure he was going to like it.

Her eyes drifted to the crowd of people that walked, paired, grouped and solo through the mall, each on their own mission.

"Bones," the familiar word sent chills down her spine, not the way that caused tension, but the way that sent electricity through her body. She had missed the sound of his voice, the way he had uttered her name. She'd missed him in ways, she hadn't even complemented. She missed the way he persuaded her to eat pie, despite her distaste for it, she missed the way he asked her to "dumb-down" her scientific vocalizations. But mostly, she missed the way he stepped into her personal space, his face inches from hers, so close that she was always able to smell the scent of his cologne. No one smelt, quite like him.

Brennan stood as she watched him pace his way towards her, she placed the box on the steel bench where she had been waiting, and stood up straight. He hadn't changed much in a year; his hair cut was more or less the same, unlike hers. His army uniform was replaced with the familiar FBI suit. He sure wasn't wasting time in getting back to familiarity.

"Hi," he smiled pulling her to him and folding her into his arms.

She closed her eyes, allowing the familiarity of his embrace to consume her. His cent, somehow seemed stronger, almost overwhelmingly so. She inched closer to him, eager to feel the proximity between them.

Finally, he withdrew from her, making a space between them.

"365 days…" Booth smiled drinking her in.

"It felt like years," she confessed.

"I like your hair," he said entwining his fingers through her now shoulder-length straight hair. He laughed at the way her new fringe bounced when she titled her head. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you, Booth," she felt her cheeks warm.

"So how was the work you did in Indonesia?"

Brennan smiled. "It was interesting. What about your army training?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "It was good. I met a lot of people who were eager to fight for their country," he said. Booth eyed the box on the bench, bringing a wide smile to Brennan's face. She took the box in her hand and extended it to her friend.

"I brought you a gift, Booth," she smiled in anticipation of his reaction. There was no doubt in her mind how much he'd like it.

Booth narrowed his eyes. "How much do I owe you?" he asked skeptically.

"I don't know what that means."

"Last time you brought me a book, you asked me to pay for myself."

Brennan took a step back, feeling hurt. "I've come a long way since then, Booth. This was a gift I brought for you. I didn't-"

He reached out and seized her shoulders making eye contact. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I'll open it," he took the box from her, and removed the lid with caution. It took a moment for his eyes to widen as he carefully took it from its resting place, cradling it, securely in his hands.

"Wow… Bones, this is…" he was speechless as he admired his new treasure.

_Hehehehe. Way to leave you hanging… if you want to know what the gift is, and I'm sure you do, leave me a review and I'll be sure to post the next chapter *wicked grin*_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Sucker! I knew you couldn't resist… hehehehe… BTW, I happen to LOVE the gift she brought. :)_

_Ps. This is the final chapter, I wasn't sure where I was going with it, but I only wanted a one-shot, that turned to two… so, here you go :)_

Booth turned it over in his hands.

Brennan shifted uncomfortably as she watched him. "When I saw this, Booth, I thought of our song and-"

"Hot-blooded," he nodded knowingly still staring at the miniature wooden carved guitar, painted red and black with wire strings. "It's incredible, Bones. I- wow… I love it." Booth carefully folded it back into the box, and replaced the lid before he placed it down on the bench and reached for her, hugging her tightly with gratitude.

"By your reaction, I assume your feelings of absence reflected my own."

"Yes, Bones," he smiled. "I missed you… very much."

Brennan smiled.

"Can I buy you a coffee?" he offered.

Brennan looked over at the coffee cart. "In Indonesia, the coffee was very-"

"I know," he smiled. "But for old time's sake, let's just enjoy this one."

Brennan nodded and they walked over to the coffee cart to purchase them. They returned to the bench, and Booth's eyes remained on his gift. "I didn't get you anything, Bones," he said regretfully. He wished he had. God, knew, he thought about her every couple of seconds. He realized that no amount of time, or distance, had changed his feelings for her. He was glad to be home.

"So tell me more about the dig in Malu Islands?" Booth smiled eager to hear her voice.

"Maluku," she corrected. "It was incredible, Booth. The discovery of so many bones, so many live's that remained a mystery, and I got to give them a name, an identity. It was amazing," she smiled.

Booth nodded listening to her. It had been slightly different for him. There had been no amazing discoveries of new bones, no human identities that had been nameless for centuries, no; Booth had trained men to serve in war. He had seen men killed or missing significant body parts. Booth had seen horror, death, bitterness, anger and devastation. There was nothing amazing about what he had done in Afghanistan. Only what had needed to be done.

"I'm glad," he nodded. "Think you'd go back someday?" his stomach tightened as he waited for an answer.

Brennan pondered over the question seriously. "I don't think so, Booth."

The air escaped his lungs, and he felt himself sigh with relief.

He couldn't stop himself from asking. "Why?"

"I went there to put my life in order, to- to tell myself that what I wanted was only lost emotions misplaced, but the objective followed me, Booth… I didn't learn anything about myself that I didn't have previous knowledge of," she lifted a trembling hand to his cheek and smiled weakly. "Thank you for not being a hero, Booth. Thank you for coming home safely."

"What objective followed you, Bones?" he held her stare as she squirmed uncomfortably, removing her hand from his face.

There was a pregnant pause.

"You…" she confessed, her eyes shifted to a spot on the ground. "You followed me, Booth. Every day I heard your voice in my head, scientifically it was impracticable, but I heard you… like you were right next to me. It occurred to me, that I could very well have been mentally insane. It doesn't make sense, but I did hear it-"

Booth put a finger to her mouth, and smiled. "I heard your voice too, Bones. I hear it every day, whether I'm here with you, or a million miles away… I hear you. I'll never stop hearing you."

"I don't know what that means."

_Classic Bones_, he smiled. "It means you got an open heart, Bones, it means you feel something for me, maybe possibly love."

"Love?" she asked.

Booth nodded.

She considered this. "I think already knew that," she whispered.

"You did?" he smiled.

"Yes. Love is more than a physical attraction, Booth. I learnt to trust you, to care about you, to believe in you to protect me whenever it's within your power."

"I would, Bones, I WILL," he promised.

"I know," she nodded quietly. She looked like she believed it.

Booth made a bold move then, tucking her hair behind her ears, and leaned forward, he hesitated only for a moment, watching for her reaction and when she smiled giving him the blessing to move forward, he brushed his lips with hers breathing in the unique smell that was her alone. She entwined her fingers in the back his dark-brown hair, and pulled herself closer to him.

Time away had been the best thing for both of them… no distance or time could ever separate them.

**THE END!**

_Drop me a line if you thought the gift fit the story… I'd like to know your thoughts on this. :)_


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